The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the quality of bee honey from different sources: beekeeper, local market and organic honey. Sensory analysis was performed and the water content, pH, acidity, protein content and total metal content (Cu, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Pb, Cd, Fe) were determined. The sensory analysis was carried out by a group of untrained panelists for quality assessment of honey. The metal content was determined by graphite atomic absorption spectrometry (GTAAS). Mineralization was carried out in a microwave digestion system, in a high-pressure polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) vessel, using a standard acid-digestion protocol. The results regarding the physico-chemical parameters showed that the honey samples were in accordance with the quality regulations for honey as a commercial product. The concentration of metals in the investigated honey samples varied in the order Cu > Cr > Pb > Fe > Ni > Mn > Co > Cd, the values being within the limits established by the EU Commission... [more]

Scutellariae Radix (SR) is a well-known traditional herb that has good pharmacological effects against diabetes. However, the mechanism of SR against diabetes is not clear. In this study, the ingredient−target−pathway relationship and hypoglycemic effect of SR on diabetes were explored using network pharmacology, molecular docking and an animal experiment. The targets of SR and diabetes were mined. The selected targets were studied using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and pathway enrichment analysis. The network of active components, targets and pathways was integrated to analyze the ingredient−target−pathway relationship. Then, the correspondence between the active components and targets was verified using molecular docking. Finally, an animal experiment was used to verify the hypoglycemic effect of SR. There were 52 components and 22 targets for the hypoglycemic effect of SR. We identified 18 biological processes, 9 cellular components, 15 molecular functions and 25 signaling... [more]

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes initiated during pregnancy and is characterized by maternal hyperglycemia that induces complications in mothers and children. In the current study, we used a GDM mouse model (through i.p. injection of a single dose of streptozocin, STZ, 60 mg/kg/bw) to investigate the biochemical and immunological changes in the blood and brain of diabetic mothers and their offspring relative to their appropriate controls. In addition, we estimated the expression levels of a set of microRNAs (miRNAs) to link between the dysregulation in the levels of miRNAs and the exposure to oxidative stress during embryonic development, as well as metabolic changes that occur after birth and during puberty in offspring (5-weeks-old). At the biochemical level, newborn pups appeared mostly to suffer from the same oxidative stress conditions of their mothers as shown by the significant increase in nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in blood and brain of... [more]

Given the importance of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) in the maintenance of cell development, gene transcription, and other essential biological operations, CDK blockers have been generated to manage a variety of disorders resulting from CDK irregularities. Furthermore, CDK9 has a crucial role in transcription by regulating short-lived anti-apoptotic genes necessary for cancer cell persistence. Addressing CDK9 with blockers has consequently emerged as a promising treatment for cancer. This study scrutinizes the effectiveness of nature-derived compounds (geniposidic acid, quercetin, geniposide, curcumin, and withanolide C) against CDK9 through computational approaches. A molecular docking study was performed after preparing the protein and the ligands. The selected blockers of the CDK9 exerted reliable binding affinities (−8.114 kcal/mol to −13.908 kcal/mol) against the selected protein, resulting in promising candidates compared to the co-crystallized ligand (LCI). The binding affini... [more]

In recent years, ultra-efficient liquid chromatography (UPLC) has gained particular popularity due to the possibility of faster separation of small molecules. This technique, used to separate the ingredients present in multi-component mixtures, has found application in many fields, such as chemistry, pharmacy, food, and biochemistry. It is an important tool in both research and production. UPLC created new possibilities for analytical separation without reducing the quality of the obtained results. This technique is therefore a milestone in liquid chromatography. Thanks to the increased resolution, new analytical procedures, in many cases, based on existing methods, are being developed, eliminating the need for re-analysis. Researchers are trying to modify and transfer the analytical conditions from the commonly used HPLC method to UPLC. This topic may be of strategic importance in the analysis of medicinal substances. The information contained in this manuscript indicates the importan... [more]

The assessment of toxic metals pollution in road dust in Mymensingh city, Bangladesh and its impact on the health risk of human exposure to toxic metals, is inadequate. A comprehensive investigation was conducted in different land use areas, i.e., commercial areas (CA), medically facilitated areas (MFA), residential areas (RA), and park areas (PA), to determine levels of Cr (chromium), Mn (manganese), Ni (nickel), Co (cobalt), Cu (copper), Zn (zinc), As (arsenic), Cd (cadmium), and Pb (lead) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). We planned to use different pollution indices, such as the geoaccumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (Cdeg), ecological risk (Er), pollution load index (PLI), and enrichment factor (EF), to measure the level of contamination in the road dust of Mymensingh City. The average concentration (mg/kg) ranges of toxic metals in the road dust at different land use areas of Mymensingh City were: Cr (40.8−85.5)... [more]

The coding region for the sortase A (SrtA) of Staphylococcus aureus was fused at the N-terminus of LfcinB. The SrtA-LfcinB fusion protein in E. coli C43(DE3) was expressed with the expected sizes of 21 kDa and 38 kDa by pET21b-SrtA-LfcinB and pET32-1SrtA-LfcinB constructs, respectively. Increased levels of the TrxA-His-SrtA-SrtA-LfcinB fusion protein were detected by the pET32-3SrtA-LfcinB construct having three expression cassettes. LfcinB is released from the expressed SrtA-LfcinB protein by SrtA self-cleavage which is induced in the presence of Ca2+. The antibacterial activity was detected after SrtA-mediated cleavage of LfcinB. Furthermore, to reduce the antimicrobial peptide toxicity to the E. coli host, the human interferon-γ (hIFN-γ) sequences were mutated into a negatively charged mIFc2 protein (7 kDa), which was co-expressed with LfcinB in an insoluble form. The yield of LfcinB was elevated while changing the gene order of LfcinB and mIFc2 (pET21b-fLfcinB-bmIFc2). Furthermore,... [more]

Ethanol and starch are the main products generated after the processing of corn via dry grinding and wet milling, respectively. Milling generates byproducts including stover, condensed distillers’ solubles, gluten meal, and the dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS), which are sources of valuable compounds for industry including lignin, oil, protein, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds. This manuscript reviews the current research scenario on the valorization of corn milling byproducts with supercritical technology, as well as the processing strategies and the challenges of reaching economic feasibility. The main products recently studied were biodiesel, biogas, microcapsules, and extracts of enriched nutrients. The pretreatment of solid byproducts for further hydrolysis to produce sugar oligomers and bioactive peptides is another recent strategy offered by supercritical technology to process corn milling byproducts. The patents invented to transform corn milling byproducts incl... [more]

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of powder made out of Roselle Calyx Wastes (RCP) in developing a biscuit formulation with acceptable sensory value. Roselle calyxes were infused in water in a 1:10 ratio. The residual infused calyxes were dried at 50 °C for 16 h, grounded, sieved through a 50 mesh, and stored in plastic bags until used. The biscuit formulations were enriched with RCP at 0% (BC), 5% (BRCP5), 10% (BRCP10), and 15% (BRCP15). The amount of RCP added to the biscuit formulation did not change the protein content. However, the addition of RCP significantly affected the biscuit’s color; the lightness parameter (L*) decreased as the RP content increased from 69.66 to 49.04. The sensory evaluation showed that the control biscuit and the biscuit enriched with 5% of RP were the best accepted. As for the antiradical activity, the formulation with the highest activity was presented by the BRCP15 (587.43 µmol Trolox/100 g dwb). On the other hand, BRCP5 presen... [more]

A standardized method to evaluate the material properties of surimi gels has to be updated because of the lack of accuracy and the repeatability of data obtained from conventional ways. To investigate the relationships between the different texture measurement methods used in surimi gels, 250 batches of different surimi gels were used. The textural properties of surimi gels made with or without whey protein concentrate (SG-WP), potato starch (SG-PS), or dried egg white (SG-EW) were measured under torsion, tensile, and penetration tests. The correlation between the textural properties related to the deformation and hardness of surimi gels without any added ingredients (SG) was linear (R2 > 0.85). However, the R2 values of the shear strain and tensile strain of SG-WP and SG-EW were significantly lower than that of SG. The strain distributions of surimi gels with and without added ingredients were estimated by digital image correlation (DIC) analysis. The results showed that the local str... [more]

Soybean bioactivity is significantly enhanced during tempeh fermentation. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tempeh on colorectal cancer cells in vitro and colon precancerous lesions (aberrant crypt foci, ACF) in vivo. In the in vitro assay, tempeh water extract (WET) could inhibit the proliferation of Caco-2 cells. In the animal assay using 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced Sprague−Dawley (SD) rats, 12-weeks daily feeding of tempeh could decrease the level of Clostridium perfringens in cecum contents and reduce the number of large (≥4 foci) ACF in the colon of treated rats, compared to the DMH control. By the results of TOF-MS and Edman degradation, the isolated antioxidant dipeptide, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides from WET might contain methionine, proline, and lysine. The bioactive peptides in tempeh might inhibit colon cancer by suppressing the growth of C. perfringens in the intestinal tract.

Minced beef is a popular meat product due to its low price and superior nutritional value. The contamination of minced beef is a significant risk for the worldwide meat market. Both natural and synthetic preservatives are used to expand the shelf life and improve the quality properties of meat. The harmful effects of synthetic preservatives make natural preservatives more appealing. Therefore, this research was performed to study the impact of different concentrations of Cassia glauca leaf extract (CGE) on increasing the shelf life of minced beef. Seventy-two minced beef samples were divided into control, 0.25, 0.5, and 1% w/w CGE treated groups. The control and treated samples were kept at 3 ± 1 °C in the refrigerator for 15 days. Minced beef samples’ sensory, chemical, and microbiological properties were assessed every three days. The gained results showed that the CGE addition effectively decreased the microbial count and maintained the minced beef’s sensory and chemical quality. Ad... [more]

The most potent mycotoxin, aflatoxins are the secondary metabolite produced by fungi, especially Aspergillus, and have been found to be ubiquitous, contaminating cereals, crops, and even milk and causing major health and economic issues in some countries due to poor storage, substandard management, and lack of awareness. Different aspects of the toxin are reviewed here, including its structural biochemistry, occurrence, factors conducive to its contamination and intoxication and related clinical features, as well as suggested preventive and control strategies and detection methods.

Vent is a medium-sized deciduous tree that belongs to the family Bignoniaceae. The roots of this tree are used as one of the ten ingredients to prepare the Dasamula formulation in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India. Although traditional uses are attributed to the medicinal plant, there are limited scientific data on its potential. The present study thus analyzed the cytotoxic and apoptotic potential of the plant against different cancer cells. MTT assay was used to determine cytotoxicity using HeLa, HCT 15, and MDA-MB-231 cells, with the IC50 values, revealed at concentrations of 92.43, 133.0, and 112.84 µg/mL respectively. However, the extract was less toxic to non-cancer cells. HeLa cells further treated with OIM were subjected to flow cytometric analysis for studying the cell cycle stages. When untreated cells at G1 phase were found at a relative percentage of 71.9%, it increased to 79.3 and 86% with OIM treatment at concentrations of 50 and 100 µg/mL; cells in the S phase de... [more]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are thought to be ecologically friendly, despite electron transport and generation challenges. In order to address this, the efficiency of MFCs was investigated using two different anode electrodes made from biomass: graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide-metal oxide (GO-MO) (GO-ZnO). After 18 days of operation, the maximum power density for GO was 0.69 mW/m2, whereas the maximum power density for GO-ZnO was 1.05 mW/m2. Furthermore, the ability of MFCs to transform the soluble metal ions (Cd2+, Cr3+, Pb2+, and Ni2+) into an insoluble state was investigated, which is a secondary use of MFCs with significant benefits. In the soluble state of metal ion transformation into an insoluble state, the rate of GO-ZnO was higher (92.71%) than that of GO (81.20%). The outcomes of material, analytical, and biological tests undertaken to validate the efficiency of anodes are presented. It has been shown that using innovative materials as electrodes in MFCs is a potential... [more]

Objective: Post-COVID 19 depression has gained much attention due to the increasing percentage of depressive symptoms reported by COVID-19 survivors. Among many factors postulated to be responsible for this depression, neuroinflammation gained the most attention. Therefore, in current work, we selected an anandamide reuptake inhibitor, VDM11, as a possible candidate for managing post-COVID depression. Methods: The role of VDM11 in attenuating neuroinflammation was established by using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and an in vivo LPS-induced depression model. Results: The results of network pharmacology revealed that among all the genes that can be targeted by VDM11, 47 genes were directly linked to the pathophysiology of depression. Additionally, on the basis of protein−protein interaction (PPI) analysis, the top 10 hub genes probably responsible for VDM11 antidepressant attribute were screened. These genes include MAPK3, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, PPARG, MAPK1, CNR1, MTOR, NR3C1,... [more]

The preparation of flavored vegetable oils using spice and herb plants is considered to be an indispensable opportunity for the application of these plants. In the present exploration, sunflower oil (SFO) samples flavored by Mentha spicata L. (spearmint) were prepared using the maceration method (MM) and ultrasound-assisted maceration (UM). The antioxidant effects, sensory evaluation and the oxidative stability during accelerated storage; the physicochemical properties including the levels for acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV) and p-anisidine value (AnV); and the specific extinction values at 232 nm (K232) and 268 nm (K268) of the SFO samples were measured. The contents of beneficial ingredients including chlorophylls, carotenoids, polyphenols and tocopherols, and the micro-organism colonies for yeasts, molds, Listeria monocytogenes and Enterobacteriaceae bacteria were determined. The results show that the physicochemical properties, beneficial ingredients, antioxidant effects, sens... [more]

Investigation of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment of yeast at 20 kV/cm using chambers with BaTiO3 dielectric layers was conducted in this study. The sterile rate as well as concentrations of metallic ions and hydroxyl radicals were measured to assess the PEF performance. The results indicated that generation of metallic ions could be reduced by 90%. However, a much higher field strength would be required for satisfactory sterilization due to the Maxwell-Wagner field relaxation, and reactions between the dielectric barriers and liquid could also occur. It was also proven that the continuous presence of a sufficient electric field is the main factor that inactivates the microorganism.

The ubiquitous presence of mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic N-nitrosamine impurities in medicines has become a major issue in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years. Rigorous mitigation strategies to limit their amount in drug products are, therefore, needed. The removal of nitrite, which is a prerequisite reagent for the N-nitrosation of amines, has been acknowledged as one of the most promising strategies. We have conducted an extensive literature search to identify nineteen structurally diverse nitrite scavengers and screened their activity experimentally under pharmaceutically relevant conditions. In the screening phase, we have identified six compounds that proved to have the best nitrite scavenging properties: ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sodium ascorbate, maltol, propyl gallate, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and l-cysteine. These were selected for investigation as inhibitors of the formation of N-methyl-N-nitrosoaniline (NMA) from N-methylaniline and N-nitroso-N’-pheny... [more]

The electrochemical oxidation (EO) of the breast-cancer drug anastrozole (ANZ) is studied in this work. The role of various operating parameters, such as current density (6.25 and 12.5 mA cm−2), pH (3−10), ANZ concentration (0.5−2 mg L−1), nature of supporting electrolytes, water composition, and water matrix, have been evaluated. ANZ removal of 82.4% was achieved at 1 mg L−1 initial concentration after 90 min of reaction at 6.25 mA cm−2 and 0.1 M Na2SO4. The degradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics with the apparent rate constant, kapp, equal to 0.022 min−1. The kapp increases with increasing current density and decreasing solution pH. The addition of chloride in the range 0−250 mg L−1 positively affects the removal of ANZ. However, chloride concentrations above 250 mg L−1 have a detrimental effect. The presence of bicarbonate or organic matter has a slightly negative but not significant effect on the process. The EO of ANZ is compared to its degradation by solar photo-Fenton,... [more]

Sludge biochar can be used as bio-carrier to enhance aerobic granular sludge, however, its impact on the formation and especially long-term stability of aerobic granules has not been fully investigated. In this paper, aerobic granular sludge was cultivated in two parallel sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), R1 and R2, with and without sludge biochar addition in the activated sludge inoculum, respectively. The sludge characteristics, wastewater treatment performance, and microbial community structure of granular sludge were examined on a 240-day operation, during which aerobic granular sludge in the two reactors experienced dynamic changes including granule formation, maturation, breakage, filamentous proliferation, and recovery. Aerobic granules in R1 with biochar formed two weeks earlier than that in R2, presenting a larger mean size, and higher settling ability and biomass retention in the granule maturation period. Concurrently, aerobic granules in R1 showed higher denitrification abi... [more]

In this study, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) that can achieve simultaneous anode anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and electricity generation (anode anammox MFC) by high-effective anammox bacteria fed with purely inorganic nitrogen media was constructed. As the influent concentrations of ammonium (NH4+-N) and nitrite (NO2−-N) gradually increased from 25 to 250 mg/L and 33−330 mg/L, the removal efficiencies of NH4+-N, NO2−-N and TN were over 90%, 90% and 80%, respectively, and the maximum volumetric nitrogen removal rate reached 3.01 ± 0.27 kgN/(m3·d). The maximum voltage and maximum power density were 225.48 ± 10.71 mV and 1308.23 ± 40.38 mW/m3, respectively. Substrate inhibition took place at high nitrogen concentrations (NH4+-N = 300 mg/L, NO2−-N = 396 mg/L). Electricity production performance significantly depended upon the nitrogen removal rate under different nitrogen concentrations. The reported low coulombic efficiency (CE, 4.09−5.99%) may be due to severe anodic polarization... [more]

extract from Palestine was tested in vitro for its antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) measurements were made concurrently. By using FRAP and DPPH methods, the antioxidant activity were measured spectrophotometrically. By using HPLC-PDA, phenolic and flavonoid compounds of the extract were determined. Results showed strong antioxidant activity of the plant extract revealed by inhibition of stable free radicals (DPPH test) and strong reducing ability (FRAP test). According to spectrophotometric methods for total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids content, the extracts were also found to be rich in polyphenolic compounds and flavonoids. Verthimia iphionoides extract had high antibacterial activity against three bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus aureus), with inhibition zone values of 14 mm, 25 mm, and 27 mm, respectively. Bioactivities were primarily attribut... [more]

To investigate the effects of different types of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on aerobic stability, microbial community and metabolites of whole crop corn silage ensiled with Lentilactobacillus plantarum (LP) and Lentilactobacillus buchneri (LB) or not (CK), the fermentation parameters, aerobic stability, microbial community and metabolite differential components of whole crop corn silage were analyzed after ensiling for 8 months. The results showed that the pH of the whole treatment was lower than 4.2, which indicates good fermentation quality. Compared with the LP group, the LB group significantly improved the aerobic stability of whole crop corn silage (p < 0.05). The addition of LB and LP both increased the number of LAB and the relative abundance of Lentilactobacillus. Metabolite analysis results showed that 28 metabolites were significantly different between the LP and CK groups (p < 0.01), 15 metabolites were significantly different between the LB and CK groups (p < 0.01)... [more]

Fc fusion proteins are used as therapeutic agents with unique structures by combining the Fc domain of an antibody with other active proteins, cytokines, and enzymes. Peptide Fc-fusion proteins are complex fusion molecules that possess a structure different from that of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and are difficult to express, thereby affecting their quality. Many product/process-related impurities generated during the production of peptide Fc-fusion proteins pose a risk to the robustness of pre-existing three-column platforms for the purification of mAbs. Thus, we first evaluated the effect of pH, conductivity, and dynamic binding capacity (DBC; g of product per liter of resin) on the separation of host cell protein (HCP) and high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) proteins in strong cation exchange chromatography and then established an operating range using the design of experiments (DoE). Based on our studies, the optimal removal rates of HCP and HMW were achiev... [more]